AP400 filter upgrade!

Suction has been declining a lot these last months. The bag has been getting dirty but I just hate spending an hour blowing dust out of the thing. I’m always in a rush, stealing time wherever I can to work on something. It’s also a really filthy task. Some people have backyard decks as big as my entire back yard, and I end up getting dust all over my house, garage, patio, shed, and teeny lawn when I’m out there cleaning out the bag, seen here:

That was 30 microns. The new filter brings me down to 2 microns – way better:

The little pleat-smacker’s pivot handle just makes it between the cabinet, wall, and door, if the machine is pulled out a few inches from the wall.

I gave it a test after getting the filter installed, and suction is back to the way it was when I first bought it. I’m very excited. Two questions for you, if you’ve read this far, as the instructions failed to mention:

should I be twirling the smacker arm after shutting the machine down every time, or just an occasional swiping when it starts to slow down?

how long should this thing last? It was about $150, and it seems that I’d have to replace most of it someday, as I don’t think the filter really comes out, but is rather part of the whole unit.

Now I have 5x the filter surface area, a cleaning flapper, better suction, and greatly reduced dust particle sizes. This will be my last acquisition for awhile, as I’ve realized my bank balance has been dropping for awhile now, and I want to build up the reserves again!

Gary, I’ve got this same dust collector. I’d sure like to know if this addition works out over time and if it keeps improving the air flow. I might consider an upgrade. And for the cost of the filter it would have to last awhile. I purchased this unit at Lowes when they were discontinuing it and the small metal brace crossing the vertical beams were missing for $120 after bargaining; a considerable discount over the original cost. This filter would be more than the cost of the unit. It’d have to be worth it over the long run.

Thanks for the post.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful.

congrats. this filter should outlast you unless you abuse it. just don’t wet it, or blow high pressure air on it – and you shouldn’t need to worry about it.

on another note – I notice that you still have the lower collection bag – this bag is actually a filter by itself, and is supposed to work with the top filter bag. once you switch to a cartridge filter – you should use a zero porosity collection bag that will NOT let air through it – this will make the cartridge do all the filtering which is what you really want.

it’s recommended to twirl the flapper after every use, this will help it avoid over-accumulation, and a good habit to start off the get-go.

Craftsman – sounds (according to Lev) that it should last a very long time. I’ll report back any issues as I encounter them, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a really great machine now.

Lev – I was thinking that. It doesn’t say it anywhere, and people online just gave good reviews without mentioning it, but the other can filter setups I’ve seen also have a clear plastic bottom bag, which I’ve always wanted. It would be fun to see the dust and small chips filling it up, instead of deducing from the shadows, or going over to squeeze the bag. I think I’ll swap that out next. My only fear was that it would overpressure the filter a bit – not much, but maybe bad in the long run – but as this has 5x the surface area, then I should be fine. Thanks for the tip about flapping it each time – will do. It’s fun, so it’s no big deal.

mmh – It will yell that now that you’ve convinced me to add animatronics to it!

Good deal Gary! I upgraded my DC about a year ago with a canister also. I rotate it when ever I remember to and sometimes when I notice that I’m not getting the suction I should. Make sure it’s off before you do it. I always rotate it a few times in both directions also.

I have also found that as the bag gets full the suction seems to go down. I empty mine when it gets about 1/4 full.Mine has plastic bags though. Being a cheap bastard I just empty it into the trashcan (outside) and re-use it.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

Gary – if you use a plastic bag with a fabric filter you’d probably overpressure the filter – but not the case with the canister. if you underpressure it – it means that the collection (fabric) bag is letting out air through it – which means , you’re not really getting the filteration level of the canister as it should be.

I’m as cheap as GaryK though – once the plastic collection bag is full, I just empty it and reuse it. not only cheap – I also don’t like the idea of trashing all that plastic material. Green thinking.

I have a friend who has one of these and his started leaking after a short time. I hope yours works out better they need to be cleaned after a while anyway I should imagine just like the bags maybe not so often.Alistair

Alistair – leaking!? That’s not good. Do you know if it was leaking out of any particular area? Top, sides, bottom? It seems really sound, but who knows? I’ll keep an eye on it. Thanks for the info.

Gary – I’d love a 2HP! I’m ducting this around the shop, and it loses considerable power by the time it goes up to the rafters, across the shop, and down the back wall. It’s still a lot better than nothing, but not killer awesome, as I’d hoped. I’ll upgrade in a couple years, perhaps. Have you found your little DC room filling up with tiny dust particles, or has the 2-micron canister kept it all fairly clean?